RDSO Standard, New York City Subway

Signaling of the New York City Subway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[pic 1]

The R143 is the first automated rolling stock in the New York City Subway.

[pic 2]

Sixty-four R160A cars like this one are automated, out of 1,662 total R160 cars; the rest can be retrofitted with CBTC in the future. The R160 is the system's second automated rolling stock.

[pic 3]

The R188 is the system's third automated rolling stock and second fully automated fleet.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) operates the New York City Subway, which is mostly manually operated. The subway system currently uses Automatic Block Signaling with fixed wayside signals and automatic train stops. Many portions of the signaling system were installed between the 1930s and 1960s. Because of the age of the subway system, some replacement parts must be custom built for the MTA, as they are otherwise unavailable from signaling suppliers. Additionally, some subway services have reached their train capacity limits and cannot operate extra trains with the current Automatic Block Signaling system.

There are two different schemes of signaling in the system. The most used scheme is found on all of the B Division and most of the A Division. An older system that was used on all of the A Division is still in use on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line, but this final section is being converted to the B Division scheme.[1]

The MTA has plans to upgrade much of New York City Subway system with communications-based train control (CBTC) technology, which will control the speed and starting and stopping of subway trains. The CBTC system is mostly automated and uses a moving block system – which reduces headways between trains, increases train frequencies and capacities, and relays the trains' positions to a control room – rather than a fixed block system. This will require new rolling stockto be built for the subway system, as only newer trains can use CBTC systems.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1Block signaling

• 1.1Types of block signals
• 1.2Types of interlocking signals
• 1.3Chaining

• 2Automatic Train Supervision
• 3Automation

• 3.142nd Street Shuttle automation

• 3.1.1Sea Beach Line test track
• 3.1.2Implementation and demise

• 3.2CBTC test cases

• 3.2.1Canarsie Line CBTC
• 3.2.2Flushing Line CBTC

• 3.3Wider installation of CBTC

• 3.3.1Culver Line CBTC
• 3.3.2Queens Boulevard Line CBTC
• 3.3.3Eighth Avenue Line CBTC
• 3.3.4Other lines

• 4Notes
• 5References
• 6External links

Block signaling[edit]

The New York City Subway system has, for the most part, used block signalling since its 1904 opening. As of May 2014, the system consists of about 14,850 signal blocks, 3,538 mainline switches, 183 major track junctions, 10,104 automatic train stops, and 339,191 signal relays.[2] Trains used to be controlled by signal towers at interlockings, but this was eventually phased out in favor of master towers.[3][4] Eventually, these master towers were replaced by a single rail control center:[3] the New York City Transit Power Control Center in Midtown Manhattan.[5]

The New York City Subway generally distinguishes its current signals into:

• automatic signals, controlled only by train movements
• approach signals, like automatic signals, can be forced to switch to stop aspect by interlocking tower
• home signals, route set by interlocking tower
• additional signals (call-on, dwarf, marker, sign, time signals)

Common automatic and approach signals consist of one signal head showing one of the following signal aspects:

• stop (one red light); with special rules for call-on and timer signals
• clear, next signal at clear or caution (one green light)
• proceed with caution, be prepared to stop at next signal (one yellow light)

Where different directions are possible, the subway uses both speed and route signalling:

• upper signal head for speeds
• lower signal head for routes (with main route shown green and diverging route shown yellow)

The system is old, and some replacement parts must be custom built for the MTA, as they are no longer available from signaling suppliers. The old signals break down more easily, since some signals have outlasted their 50-year service life by up to 30 years, and signal problems accounted for 13% of all subway delays in 2016.[6] Additionally, some subway services have reached their train capacity limits and cannot operate extra trains with the current Automatic Block Signaling system. Changes in assumptions about train performance, and changes in operational rules also had notable impact on system throughput, such as the prohibition of movement of trains past permissive signals at restricted speed (No Key-By without permission from Control Center.)

Types of block signals[edit]

[pic 4]

A modern, un-renovated subway signal at Bowling Greenstation.

The system currently uses block signalling,[7] which is used in other systems such as the Toronto subway and RT. The block signals that the New York City Subway currently uses is identical to those on the RT's signaling system.

• [pic 5]

Proceed

• [pic 6]

Proceed with caution, next signal is currently red

• [pic 7]

Stop. Passing this signal trips the train stop

• [pic 8]

Entering timed block, next signal is red onlydue to grade timing

• [pic 9]

Timed block, timer has not yet run out, next block is timed as well as lunar aspect is indicated (in this example this signal would only clear to yellow)

...